Paul Robeson

Air Date:
Heard On The Odyssey Series
Paul Robeson 1898-1976
(1942 Photo by Gordon Parks, Library of Congress)

(#2) Paul Robeson excelled as an athlete, actor, singer, and activist, qualifying him as a contemporary renaissance man. His early accomplishments as a professional football player, Columbia law school graduate, and an actor on Broadway in the 1920s seemed but a prologue to even greater achievements to come. His 1958 autobiography is worthy of reading. Robeson renders an adaptation of “Go Down Moses” – a powerful musical expression of the human condition where bondage, ancient and more recent protest, intersect with a call for freedom.

Episode Credits

  • Dr. Jonathan Øverby Host
  • Joe Hardtke Technical Director

Related Stories